Winnipeg Jets left wing Andrew Ladd (16) and Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner (27) battle for the puck in second period play at MTS Centre.J. Carey Lauder
Ondrej Pavelec made 27 saves for the shutout as the Winnipeg Jets finished a perfect home stand Saturday with a 3-0 win over the Washington Capitals.
Mark Stuart, Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry scored for Winnipeg, which extended its lead to four points over Los Angeles in the chase for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
It was the fourth straight win for the Jets (37-23-12), and the fourth win in a row for Pavelec— who only recently reclaimed his starting job from rookie Michael Hutchinson.
The Capitals (39-24-10) lost for the first time in four games, but comfortably hold the Eastern Conference's first wild-card spot.
Pavelec made a number of saves that brought the MTS Centre crowd to its feet, and also benefited from three Washington shots that hit iron.
Braden Holtby, starting his 16th consecutive game in the Washington net, stopped 21 of 23 shots.
Stuart, a stay-at-home defenceman, opened the scoring 11:46 into the first period with his second goal of the season when he pinched in from the blue-line and a Drew Stafford pass from behind the net found its way to his stick.
Scheifele made it 2-0 midway through the second period with a high shot that beat Holtby to the glove side after a centring pass from Blake Wheeler. Stafford added his second assist of the game.
Adam Lowry added an empty-net goal with 1:22 remaining.
The Jets, who lead the league in times playing shorthanded, managed to avoid giving Washington's league-leading power play too many chances. The Capitals went scoreless on three attempts with the extra attacker, managing three shots on net, and allowed the empty-net goal. Winnipeg went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Winnipeg played without three key members of its roster. Leading defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, No. 1 centre Bryan Little, and fourth-leading goal scorer Mathieu Perreault are all nursing injuries.
The Jets have 10 games remaining in their campaign as they attempt to reach the playoffs for the first time in their four seasons in Winnipeg.
Notes: Washington won the previous seven meetings between the clubs, outscoring Winnipeg 31-11. The Capitals entered the game with the best power play in the NHL, converting on 25.2 per cent of their attempts. The Jets play back-to-back games in Edmonton and Vancouver on Monday and Tuesday night. The Capitals are off until Thursday, when they host New Jersey.